How much of Essex would survive an Ace Combat rebuild?

How extensive would rebuilding an Essex-class carrier be to operate F-15s and similar jets as the fictional Endurance does?

It would require a major flight-deck reconstruction, and the fictional three-shaft layout would imply rebuilding and rebalancing the hull and keel as well.

Operating F-15s and similarly demanding aircraft from a Cold War Essex-class carrier would require substantial reconstruction of its flight deck. Ace Combat's Endurance introduces a further problem: the fictional ship is recalled as having three shafts, including one on the centreline, against Essex's four. A deliberately arranged three-shaft layout cannot be explained by the loss of one shaft from the original ship. Installing the centreline shaft would imply extensive changes to the hull and keel as well as rebalancing. With both the deck and underwater structure rebuilt, continuity would largely rest on the name in this assessment. The remembered game details remain the premise of the engineering counterfactual.